The present invention relates to a device linking a supply unit and a user unit for the manufacture of tobacco products.
It is the practice among manufacturers of tobacco products to connect a supply unit, consisting by way of example in a cigarette maker or filter tip attachment, to a user unit such as a packer. The connection is provided normally by means of a duct extending along a path that presents straight horizontal and vertical portions joined together by curved portions, along which a flow of cigarettes is caused to advance continuously as a compact mass with the single cigarettes disposed transversely to the conveying direction. It is a necessary condition for the smooth operation of such a link that the mass of cigarettes be maintained as compact as possible, in order to prevent the single cigarettes from becoming positioned incorrectly as they advance.
Conversely, it will often happen during operation of the machine units in question that the flow is interrupted for various reasons, such as a break in the flow from the supply unit caused by a failure or by a pause to enable changeover from one brand of cigarette to another.
In these situations, the interrupted flow causes a loss of compactness in the mass of cigarettes, with the result that the distribution of the cigarettes is rendered disorderly and requires the attention of an operator. Besides seeking to restore the compactness of the mass, the operator will also have to remove all of the cigarettes from the duct.
The object of the present invention is to provide a device for linking a supply unit and a user unit handling tobacco products, such as will be unaffected by the above noted drawback.